


Warmth of the Snow

by AweJun



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-03
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-01-27 22:37:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12592060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AweJun/pseuds/AweJun
Summary: An Ostwick Mage and an ex-Templar from Honnleath. What could go wrong?Everything could, probably.Random stories for the interactions of the two between major events of DA:I, may contain spoilers for the game.





	1. Arrows Straight to Your... Shoulder?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's just say the Cupid had a 'Horrible Aim Day'.

"I think that's all of them."

Alyna wiped the sweat off dripping down her forehead, heaving a huge sigh of relief as she looked at corpses sprawled all over the Templar encampment. Past the corpses, she sees Bull sat at the edge of the nearby river, a few feet away from her as Solas tended to the small wounds covering his left arm, wincing every time the salve touched his skin while Varric sat next to them as he washed the blood off Bianca, whistling a happy tune.

As she approached them, Varric looked up from his crossbow and was about to give the Herald a satisfied smile when it quickly dissipated and was instead, replaced with a concerned look instead.

"Are you alright, Herald? You don't feel any kind of pain or anything?" He asked innocently, eyes fixed past her head.

"I don't think so...?" When Varric kept looking at her with the same expression, she started stretching her limbs before noticing a very sharp pain throbbing on her left shoulder. Looking over, two arrows were protruding through her armor with blood profusely flowing down, painting the left side of the armor red.

"I guess I am not alright then?"

-

The moment they arrived in Haven, Alyna was already dragged to Adan's cabin so the apothecary could tend to the arrows instead after Solas constantly refusing to pull them out, saying _'I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to arrow wounds'_ and he could only ensure that he'll keep the wound from being infected during the trip back to Haven. Arguing with the wise mage means being stuck in the Hinterlands for the next few days so for now, she reluctantly agreed.

After shooing everyone from his cabin, Adan lead her to a chair next to the desk and help stripped the armor and her shirt by cutting through the fabric and only left her torso in her breast-cloth. The cold air blew through the back window, causing her to shiver upon contact on her bare skin.

"Don't move too much, Herald." Adan sternly told her while his hands working quickly, concocting some kind salve to, hopefully, soothe the pain during the removal of the arrows out of her. "Or it'll be a lot more painful for you when I pull those out." He pointed.

"As cranky as ever, Adan." Alyna giggled while Adan shook his head with soft, tiny smile drawn on his face.

The apothecary then prepared his equipment on his desk, meticulously arranged everything in order before coating her whole left shoulder with some kind of anesthetizing ointment, slowly feeling numb on the particular area. Before he could start pulling out the arrows, the door was suddenly swung open and Cullen entered, bending down on his knees to catch his breath, presumably he ran here. As he stood up straight, he quickly noticed Alyna only has cloth covering her plump breasts, almost naked.

It's apparently too much bare skin for the Commander as his face instantly turned red, regret started to accumulate inside of him because his decision-making ability was clouded by how worried he was when he heard what happened to her. He also realized that he has been creepily staring at her breasts for too long as she instantly covered them with her arms, her face was already as red as his.

"Maker's breath!" She exclaimed, surprised by his sudden appearance in front of her. "A-Anything I can h-help you with, C-Commander??"

"F-Forgive me, Herald!" He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her directly. "I, uh, I-- I'll see you back in the Chantry!"

Cullen left as quick as he entered, closing the door on the way out before he leaned on the wall next the door, trying to calm himself down while his heart beating fast and loud against his ribs. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Solas smirking after watching the whole thing unfold and saw how much of an idiot he was.

_Sweet Maker, preserve me... ___

-

Bull's laughter echoed inside the small tavern as he swung around his drink while Alyna buried her face in her arms on the table to hide her embarrassment.

"And he left the cabin with haste, face flushed pink and looking quite distraught. Whatever he had seen inside, it must have been too much for the poor Commander." Solas ended the story-telling as he chuckled.

"Ugh..." The only respond she could mustered.

"Cheer up, Herald." Varric placed a hand on her shoulder. "To see Curly care for someone that much, that's quite an amazing sight." He laughed.

Alyna looked up with a pout, unimpressed with their teasings. "Come on guys, enough embarrassment for one day. It was just an accident!"

"Then it shouldn't bother you as much, boss."

_'Bull's right, it shouldn't be a huge problem for me.' ___She thought to herself. _'But why am I so worried about it??'_

She could let out a defeated sigh as a respond to Bull before continuing to chug down her glass of ale, finishing it to the last drip before requesting another one from Flissa.

As the other three were busy laughing and drinking with each other, Bull, who faced the back door of the tavern, noticed that Cullen was peaking his head inside, looking for someone. Making sure that Alyna wouldn't notice, he then quickly notified Solas with bumping his elbow on Solas' arm, who then silently gestured to Varric before three pairs of eyes watched the Commander entered and made his way towards them.

"Herald?"

Alyna went stiff when she heard Cullen's voice calling out to her from the side. After placing down her new glass, she looked towards him and noticed a light pink tint on his cheek.

"Anything I can help you with, Commander?"

Cullen paused for a moment, thinking about his next words carefully as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I was wondering if we could talk, privately?"

_'Maker help me.'_

"O-of course, Commander." She stood up from her seat, trying her best to keep her composure. "Don't start drinking without me." She laughed nervously.

"Oh just go on already! Don't let us stop you!" Varric shooed them away as he trying his best to hold back his laughter.

Alyna gave them an angry glare before leaving and as they stepped outside, all of her angry was instantly replaced with the sense of dread while Cullen started to lead them somewhere for their 'private talk', silently.

-

"Forgive me, Herald."

Cullen spoke up after a few minutes of them standing side by side at the edge of the frozen lake and watched as the ice shined under the evening sun with the the icy wind blowing gently on their skin. Alyna stayed quiet, her eyes fixed on the ice before she slowly wrapped her arm around his waist, pulling him in for a short hug, which caught him by surprise.

"Don't worry too much about it, Commander, no harm done." She flashed a radiant and reassuring smile, trying her best to comfort him. "I'm just glad you're not scarred by what you've seen earlier." She let out a chuckle.

His heart warmed up as he watched happiness beamed on her face, felt the weight lifted off his shoulder. "It's going to take a whole lot more than just that to traumatize me, you know?" He responded with a smirk.

"Commander, are you saying that you wanted to see more than what you have seen?" Alyna gasped, mock-surprised.

"Wait no, that's not I meant--I don't want to see more of you-- I mean I do but not like... Maker's breath, I'm just gonna stop talking now."

"Just teasing you." She giggled, amused by what just transpired.

Cullen shook his head, unimpressed. "And here I thought I was apologizing to you."

Wiping the tears from her eyes after laughing her lungs out, Alyna then grabbed him by his arm and pulled him as she started walking towards the main gate, urging him to walk with her side by side. "Then let me make it up to you by buying you dinner **if** you would accompany me at the tavern tonight."

A wide grin drawn on his face. "Are you asking me out on a date, Herald?"

"Wha-- of course not! Don't be ridiculous!" She exclaimed as her cheeks turned red.

"Anything you say, Your Worship."


	2. On A Slippery Slope (Part 1/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Commander made up an excuse to spend more time with the Herald.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: There's a frozen lake by Haven's front gate so imagine them ice-skating together! :D (Post-In Hushed Whisper)

Cullen was just finished with the morning routine with the Inquisition forces and was about to head back to the Chantry when he noticed two figures standing in the middle of the frozen lake, holding hands as they faced each other. A small group of the Mages were also seen, crowding by the edge, chatting up among each other while watching the same two figures.

Curious, he approached the group, stopping a few feet behind them to avoid intimidating them away but close enough to hear the two further in the lake, and saw Alyna and Dorian, the former giggling by herself, watching the latter trying his best to stand properly but his legs weren't cooperating very well.

Watching her face filled with smiles and laughter had glued Cullen to his spot, unable to look away from the ray of happiness beaming off her and warming up his heart with joy. He was unsure why looking at her give these kind of effects on him. Sometimes the feelings was too much for him to handle that his chest physically hurt, his heart beated too fast and his lungs deprived of air. He had thought that the magic eminating from her caused the leftover lyrium in his blood danced in response but he felt it was too absurd that he quickly dismissed it.

_'To be someone who can make her smile, is it possible for me to be THAT someone?'_

As Cullen was busy with his train of thoughts and eyes fixated on the Herald; one of Leliana's messenger, Maxwell, approached him and briefly informed that his presence was requested at the War Room at once by the Spymaster before leaving the Commander by himself once again. He let out a heavy sigh, reluctant to leave Alyna for his primary duties as the Inquisition's Military Advisor but as he's well aware, he has to put work above all else if he wants the Inquisition to function as a proper authority in Thedas. Delaying any more will result in Josephine to dump a whole lot more of reports to him so he'll have to deal with it himself as a punishment.

"I wonder if she has some time later today..."

-

"I'm not sure if this is a great or an awful idea."

Stood in front of the door leading to the War Room, Cullen heaved a deep breath, trying to calm down and keep his composure as he ran his fingers through his hair for a final touch. He practically ran here after finished with a smaller pile of report that Josephine shoved to him earlier, thankful that the Ambassador wasn't as annoyed as he thought she would for being a tad bit late. Passing by Leliana who left Josephine's office earlier, she gleefully told him that Alyna was by herself inside the War Room, dealing with her own stack of reports before returning to her tent with a suspicious smile that he wouldn't rather want to ask.

Slowly, he opened the wooden door and peeked his head in to see her, sitting by the war table with reports neatly stacked next to her as she was focused writing down on the paper in front of her. He silently watched as the quill scratched the paper, her expressions varied from confusion to frustration, scrunched her nose while reading whatever she had in her hand.

When she hasn't noticed his presence in the room, Cullen cleared his throat loudly, causing her to jump on her chair and almost dropping the quill in her hand. Surprised, she looked up towards the source of the voice and finally noticed him, standing in front of her over the war table.

"Maker's breath, you almost gave me a heart-attack, Commander!"

"Oh, forgive me, Herald." He apologized, felt bad for what he did. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, wait. I should be the one apologizing. I was too busy reading into who gets the bunk bed between two soldiers and didn't noticed that you were here." She sighed, defeated, as she placed the quill back in the ink bottle.

"If you're that focused, I'm sure you won't notice if the Breach exploded." He chuckled.

Alyna looked at her left palm, watched as the mark emitted a slight, emerald glow before showing it to Cullen. "I'm sure, whatever this thing is, would just explode as well and notify me instantly." She smirked. "Anyway, is there anything you need from me, Commander? Other than to tease me, of course?"

_'Ah shit.'_ Cullen was too focused on making small talk with her that he almost forgot about his original intention of meeting her. _'It's now or never, Cullen.'_ He told himself. _'Maker, I pray to you, make her say yes.'_

"Ah, yes, right." He rubbed the back of his neck, hesitant to tell her what he wanted from her. For a second, Cullen stayed silent, eyes wondering about, avoiding the look of intrigue from Alyna who was waiting for him to spill out the words from his sewn shut mouth, before taking a deep breath and looking straight at her.

"I saw you and Dorian standing on the ice together, presumably that you were teaching him how to skate instead of just sliding on the ice?"

She started laughing, remembering what happened earlier in the morning. "I did and it was really fun teaching him! He won't let go my hands all the way because he was too scared he'll fall on the ice and _'destroy my expensive robes'_. To be honest, Dorian was just afraid of falling on his bottom."

"So, I was wondering..." Cullen paused for a moment. "If you're able to teach me as well...?"

Her eyes widened from surprise as she wasn't expected that kind of question coming from the Commander himself, who's known to have serious expression plastered on his face constantly with work being his number one priority. Cullen watched as Alyna fluttered her eyelashes, her mind working to process the information that she just received before she flashes a wide grin at him, excitement flared in her eyes.

"I would love to, Commander!" Alyna almost jumped from over-excitement. "Although, I didn't actually expect that question to come from you."

"Yes, yes, I look grumpy most of the time and intimidate people away so it seems that I'm a no-fun kind of guy." He sighed loudly. "But, you did agree so I'm thankful for that, Herald." He bowed slightly.

"No need to be formal with me when we're gonna ice-skate together, so just call me Alyna." She smiled.

"O-Of course, Herald-- I mean Alyna." Stuttered on his own words, his face blushed from embarrassment "And likewise."

"Now that we have threw the formalities out the window, you should go and see Dorian and check whether his skates fits you, which I think it should. And meet me later in the evening, after I'm done with the mountain of grueling reports piling on top of me." She whined.

"An exaggeration but that's the truth nonetheless." He chuckled. "Anyway, I'll see you later, Herald."

"Of course, _Commander Cullen_ "

-


	3. On A Slippery Slope (Part 2/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything that the Commander had planned went well.
> 
> More than well, so to speak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Continuation for the previous chapter.

Standing by the edge of the lake and with the pair of skates he retrieved from Dorian earlier sitting in the thin snow next to him, Cullen watched as the ice shined beautifully under the sun and felt the gentle evening breeze blowing through his curly, well-kept hair as he waited for Alyna to show up for the ice-skating lessons. He could hear his heart beating loudly from the nervousness he's currently feeling, knowing that it'll only be the two of them being alone together where he'll constantly make a fool out of himself by _'gracefully'_ fall face first on the ice.

But if that could give him a chance to make her smile and laugh, to be that someone who can fill her heart with happiness, it may not be such a bad idea after all.

When Cassandra approached him with the intention of recruiting him to the Inquisition months ago, he didn't expect to develop special feelings for anyone who he'll be working with. But, the Maker has his own hilarious way of making him fall for someone who he only met and knew for a few weeks. 

Someone who turns out to be a mage as well.

A group of individuals that he was taught to fear and despise, where he sworn to protect the people from them and to show no mercy while cutting them down when they turned into those blasted, horrifying abominations. When he had no problems with neutralizing the threat back when he was in Kirkwall, would he be able to look past his feelings and deliver the death blow if she was possessed? To kill her with his own hand?

_"Maker, please keep her under your protection."_

"Cullen!"

Hearing his name called out from behind, Cullen turned around to see Alyna approaching him with the widest smile on her face as she waved with excitement. He noticed that she had her short white hair tied up into a ponytail and her bangs weren't covering her right eye like usual.

"That's the reason?" He asked her after she stood next to him.

"What do you mean?" 

He pointed at the visible scar next to her right eye. "You're hiding that under your hair."

"Oh, this?" Her finger trailed on the long bump on her skin, started from the corner of her eye and under the ear, where a small part of it was missing. "No one would want to see this so I'll just show the good and perfect part of my face. " She smirked.

"What are you talking about?" Cullen raised an eyebrow. "You look beautiful, Alyna." 

And there he goes, just letting himself spew out the words that he would rarely say to anyone. Especially to someone who may not harbor the same feelings like he does.

"You have quite the low expectations for women, Commander. But I'll thank you for the wonderful compliment." She chuckled as his face turned red. "Let's get started shall we? Before we forgot with what we were supposed to do and then started spiralling down into a compliment competition."

"Agreed."

-

"Are you ready, Cullen?"

"I think I am?"

The both of them were standing in the middle of the lake after Alyna gave him a short demonstration on how to move forward on the ice and then helping Cullen practice while holding his hands, ensuring that he won't fall as soon as he took the first step on the lake. She could only give him a reassuring smile as she watched the Commander trying his best to stand on the slippery surface, his face reddened from embarrassment whenever she let out giggles of amusement.

"If you feel like you need more time to practice, we can continue tomorrow, just earlier in the day instead?" She asked after seeing the worried look on his face.

"I don't think we'll have any more time that can be used for leisurely activities after today. We will be too occupied with the preparation for closing the Breach." A hint of disappointment can be heard in his voice.

"That's true." Alyna sighed, before giving Cullen's hands a short squeeze. "But, after we are done with the Breach, I promise we're gonna skate together again."

"Make sure you can keep that promise because I will hunt you down if you forgot about it." He waggled his finger, jokingly warning her.

"Pshh, I'm a great promise keeper, alright?" She stuck her tongue out. "Anyway, I think you're ready for the 1st step."

Alyna was about to release her grasp on his hands and take a few steps backwards, allowing him to use what he had learned to make his way towards her on his own before Cullen pulled her back closer, holding her hands tightly.

"Promise that you'll catch me when I started falling?" He pleaded.

"I promise with all of my heart that I will be there to stop you from crashing down on he ice." She snickered, which he responded by rolling his eyes. "I promise I'll catch you, don't worry."

A few meters of ice finally separated them and Cullen quickly extended his arms out as he could feel he was losing his balance after the hands that kept him standing for that long was gone. Alyna, who was watching closely, couldn't help but laugh at how silly the Commander look, causing her to receive an intense glare from him which quickly disappated and replaced with a panic drawn all over his face as he frantically tries to regain his balance.

"You can do it, Cullen! I believe in you!"

Cullen diverted his attention towards her instead, hoping that her encouragement and her smile would help him calm down, which it did tremendously. He couldn't help but gave her an appreciative smile before starting to build up his confidence and take that first step towards her. Slowly and carefully, he managed to slid forward as Alyna cheered in the background, sharing the same level of excitement with him.

"I did it, Alyna!"

"Yes you did, Cullen! Now, skate to me and it'll be a 100% success!"

Except that it wasn't a 100% success.

His left leg slid too far back, causing him to wobble and started falling as his leg went higher and higher behind him and his face goes closer and closer towards the ice. Thankfully, with her quick reflexes, she managed to caught him on time, her hands holding him on his side as he tries to stabilize himself. But in the middle of the commotion, Alyna couldn't properly grabbed on his side and instead, her hands slipped off and went under his arm as Cullen accidentally fell into her embrace.

Their lips crashed into a full kiss with arms wrapped around one another in a tight hug as they closed their eyes, bracing for impact as their body collided. When he was sure that they weren't falling down and still standing on the ice, Cullen opened and quickly blinked his eyes, trying to avoid the sunlight that was directly in his field of vision when he noticed that Alyna's widened, teal eyes greeted him, being the first thing he sees. Confused by how shocked she was, he took a look down and to his surprise, his lips were perfectly on hers, kissing them lightly.

_"Maker, seriously?"_

Her face was already flushed red, he could feel the heat emitted from her face out of embarrassment but there was no indication of her trying to pull away. Instead, she pushed forward instead, deepened the kiss even further and caught him by surprise. At first, Cullen wasn't really sure if she wanted this but when she didn't stop even for a moment, he took the chance and wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her even closer and indulged himself in the sweet kiss.

"Commander? Are you around here?"

Maxwell's voice was the only thing required for them to break off the kiss before Leliana's messenger find them, readjusted their appearances in seconds so they wouldn't be seen as 'was just making out' out in the open. They exchanged glances for a moment, trying to say something about the kiss when Maxwell noticed Cullen and started walking towards them. "Ah, there you are Commander. Seeker--"

"Did Seeker Cassandra asked for me?" Cullen cut him off before he could even relay his message.

"Yes, Commander." He shortly replied with a nod.

"Thank you, Maxwell. I will be there in a bit." The Commander sighed, his work finally caught up to him. After Maxwell left, he quickly turned around to face Alyna and hopefully they can talk about what just happened between them but he was only greeted with an empty lake instead, no sign of her anywhere. Only a small note left on the surface of the ice, where she was standing next to him before, with a simple 'Thank you' written on it.

"I should be the one thanking her."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a bit difficult for me to write down for some reason, so I do apologize if some stuff are weird and just wonky-looking.


	4. Scarred With Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scars that fit like puzzle pieces. 
> 
> A sign from the heavens?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the 3 weeks absence, had to deal with personal stuff but now I'm back, baby!
> 
> Also, thank you so much for the 100+ hits! I'm glad that y'all enjoyed reading! <3

"You alright, Boss?"

Apart from the throbbing headache and the stinging pain on her mouth, she was more than glad to be alive after what had happened.

Slowly, Alyna opened her eyes, blinking away the blurry vision after the impact on the Hinterlands' hard ground and adjusting to the moonlit night. She then noticed Bull who was kneeling next to her, his right arm extended out to her with a worried expression on his face. She listened for the sound of fighting in case the enemy was still in the vicinity, only to be serenaded by crickets chirping and leaves rustling under the cool, nightly breeze.

She heaved out a sigh of relief.

"I guess you guys took care of the enemies huh?"

"Just your frontline bodyguard doing his job." He grinned.

She chuckled as she grabbed Bull's wide, calloused hand and was swiftly pulled back on her feet, helped dust off the dirt out of her robes afterwards. After he was sure that she wasn't badly injured, they then walked back to the camp where Dorian and Varric can be seen sitting by the campfire, warming themselves up from the cold of the night while waiting for them to return.

"I smell beef stew!" She quickly took a seat next to Varric. "Making your special recipe, eh?"

"I'm glad to see you're fine as well, Herald." He sneered, causing her to giggle. "At least you know your priorities, although I'm not sure if I'm cooking enough for everyone."

"Wait, what??"

"Just kidding, Kit." He laughed which she then retaliated by punching his arm.

"Be careful, Alyna. If you keep disturbing him, there will actually be none for you." Dorian wiggled his finger with a smirk. "As we wait for supper, how's everyone doing after the ambush? Do any of you require medical attention of some sorts?" 

"After a dagger to the mouth and a kick to the stomach, I'm sure the Boss needs all the attention she could get."

"Ah, right. Almost forgot about it." She replied with a sheepish grin.

As Dorian help tend to her injury, Alyna noticed that Varric was watching her intently, apart from keeping his eyes on the bubbling stew, as if there was something else on her face that she was unaware of.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Your scar looks oddly familiar... Don't you think, Tiny?" He asked Bull who was in the middle of drinking.

"To be honest, I had the same thought when I first saw it. But I just can't put my finger on it..."

"Someone back in Haven must have the same one if we had seen it before."

_Oh no, Maker please stop them..._

"Seeker has one but that's on her left cheek."

"And the only other person who has scars--"

"She has the same scar as our Commander." Dorian interjected as he finished tending to the cut. "And if you're wondering, the scars would match like a puzzle piece if they kissed."

Dorian's last word took her back to the last two weeks where she had kissed Cullen directly on his, _Maker preserve her,_ soft yet scarred and sexy lips. And the way he further deepened the kiss--

"No. _Stop."_ She has been trying to occupy her mind with other unrelated things, making up an excuse to go to the Hinterlands at the crack of dawn the day after the kiss was among the things, rather than thinking about her unthougtful slip onto his embrace.

"Andraste, please shine a light of guidance for your Herald. I need it more than ever..." She mumbled.

"I beg your pardon?"

Alyna's eyes shot up when she realized the three pairs of eyes was watching her, he faced heated up from the embarrassment and the thoughts for the ex-Templar. She quickly averted her gaze towards the ground, hoping that neither of them had noticed her weird reaction.

"Um, n-nothing! Just feeling a bit cold, that's all!" She rubbed the back of her neck, nervously.

Bull scurried to her side, placing a palm of his hand on her forehead. "You're heating up. Maybe you should get some rest for the night."

"Oh shit, is it from the cut? Was it infected?" Varric joined them.

Dorian stroked his chin, confused. "It didn't look like it was infected but I could be wrong. Don't worry my dear, it was properly disinfected by yours truly." 

"I'll prepare a bowl for you, Kit so you can rest as soon as possible."

"I think I have some extra blanket, I'll get them for you, Boss."

"But I'm feeling fine, it's just--"

"A-a-a, no buts young lady. You've been taking care of us ever since we have gathered under the Inquisition banner so it's time for us to take care of you instead." A warm smile drawn on Dorian's face.

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to win the argument against the three of them, she could only nodded in agreement before Varric gave her a steaming bowl of his beef stew, encouraging her to finish it all to make her feel better. She waited if any of them decided to bring up Cullen's name again but, to her relief, they have forgotten all about it and had all of their attention on making her feel comfortable.

Worrying about it now wouldn't help now thus she decided to let it slide as well and just enjoy spending the time together with these group of people that she can call as her friends. Before she's going to be bombarded with millions of questions when they return to Haven soon. Maybe watch a reaction from Cullen himself, apart from the possibility of him wanting to talk about what happened between them.

"Thank you, everyone."


	5. My Promise To You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Promises are meant to be kept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the 4 kudos, lovelies! <3

_"But, after we are done with the Breach, I promise we're gonna skate together again."_

_"Make sure you can keep that promise because I will hunt you down if you forgot about it."_

_"Pshh, I'm a great promise keeper, alright?"_

"Where are you, Alyna?"

Cullen stood by the entrance to the cave, strong wind blew through the opening as he watched the snowstorm ravages the once peaceful area, hindering his view of Haven. Silently, he prayed to the Maker of her return, hoping that he'll see the familiar silhouette making her way towards him, safe and sound.

He felt betrayed when he saw his fellow brothers and sisters of the Order marched with a malicious intent of attacking them, an intention that was driven deep into their minds by the red lyrium. How could the commanding officers let this happen? Why did they allow the Order to fall, using those who have sworn to protect others? He pinched the bridge of his nose as he was reminded of the view.

When he caught glimpses of trebuchets, broken in pieces, it filled his heart with regret. He can't abandon his responsibility to help the residents of Haven but he felt he shouldn't have left her behind as well. He should have stayed with her and use everything in his power to assist her in fending off the unknown assailant that demanded her and her life only.

And the things that he haven't had the chance to said to her; to talk about the kiss that they shared, the way he feels about her. Will he ever be given another chance?

*

_"But what of your escape?"_

"You have to escape, you have to."

_"Perhaps you will surprise it, find a way."_

"Please, find a way to return to me. I beg of you."

_"If we are to have a chance, if you are to have a chance, let that thing hear you."_

"Let that thing know that I'm waiting for your safe return."

*

"Commander!"

Cullen opened his eyes, snapped out of his thoughts. He turned around to the source of the voice that called out to him and saw Cassandra heading her way, her brows knotted in frustration.

"Is there something you needed from me, Cassandra?" He greeted her, turning his attention back to Haven.

"I need you to rest, Cullen. After you helped with the evacuation, you haven't taken a single of moment to sit down and take a breather." She stood next to him.

"As the Commander, I need to make sure she arrived safely, to be there for her in case she needed help. I can't stop and give up now."

"I understand your concern but you should not push yourself too hard." She placed a hand on his shoulder to reassure him. 

"I just... want to see her again." He let out a heavy sigh.

Cassandra wasn't wrong though. He hadn't taken a moment to rest his body, implied by the headache that he's currently having and how fatigued he had been feeling for the past few hours. He could go and have a proper meal and sleep to thwart the pains away but he was aware that the thought of her will keep plaguing his mind until he sees her standing in front of him with his own two eyes.

Minutes later, the storm slowly died down, reverted back to the usual calm and cool breeze. Cassandra stayed by his side in silence, only occasionally spoke when the people came to her with requests and asking for orders. He sometimes caught whispers from them, saying how there's no hope for the Herald to survive the encounter and even if she did, the storm would have done the job instead.

"How could they say that?" Cullen gritted his teeth, his grip on the pommel tightened from the anger.

"I'm sorry Cullen but, what they're saying are true. You can keep on hoping but if you placed your hope too high on her, it will hurt you a lot more when--"

_"My heart is already in pain when I left her."_

"Enough! I do not need to hear any of this from you, Seeker so kindly leave me to be if you are here to talk me out of this."

Before Cassandra could even open her mouth to retaliate, her eyes darted towards a figure slowly making their way towards them, an emerald glow visible from where she stands. "Cullen, it's--!"

"It's her!" 

As he ran to her, Cullen watched as Alyna fell on her knees, her consciousness fading in and out before succumbing to the fatigue. He managed to catch her before she fell into the snow, pulling her into his arms.

"Alyna, you're alive, you've returned! Thank the Maker..." He hugged her tightly. When she didn't respond to the contact, he watched her chest slowly rising and falling, an indication that she is still alive breathing, still alive

He heaved a sigh of relief.

After he safely held her in his arms, Cullen carried her back to the camp, bridal-style, with haste. As much as he wanted to keep by his side at all times, she would be in better hands of knowledgeable healers that could help tend to her injuries and keep her alive. 

When the healers finished, they allowed the Commander to stay, leaving him alone with the Herald. He took her right hand into his, slowly stroking the top of the hand with his thumb. He sat next to her in silence, listening to the sound of her breathing as she sleeps.

"You know, everyone thought that you didn't make it." Cullen chuckled. "They didn't believe that you were gonna survive the direct contact with the Elder One. I'm glad you proved the naysayers that they were wrong."

"The thought of losing you was..." He tried his best to hold back his emotions as he stumbled with his words. "It was too painful to think about. Never knew I would see the day that I would fall for a mage, fall for you. You may not feel the same way as I do but I just want you to know that I care for you. And I'm glad you have returned."

Cullen then noticed her hand twitched, reacting to his words when a warm smile drawn on her face.

"I'm a great promise keeper, remember?"


End file.
